EU_Declaration91638.pdf
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum Common name: Sweet basil, Tu Read More
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Botanical Name: |
Ocimum basilicum |
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Common name: |
Sweet basil, Tusli |
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Plant family: |
Lamiaceae |
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Genus: |
Ocimum |
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Appearance/Color: |
colorless to pale yellow liquid |
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Odor: |
Basil has a sweet, spicy, fresh scent with a faint balsamic woody back note and a lasting sweetness that makes for a strong top note. |
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Blends With: |
Bergamot, clary sage, clove Bud, Lime, Eucalyptus, Juniper, Neroil and Rosemary. |
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Origin |
India |
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Source |
Leaves |
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Method of Extraction |
Steam Distillation |
Holy Basil, also known as Tulasi or as the botanical Ocimum basilicum, ct. Estragole and Ocimum basilicum, ct. Estragole is negative to part of southern India and south east Asia. It is used extensively across India in the practice of Ayurvedic medicine and for spiritual purposes.
As a food ingredient the dried herb is very popular in Thai cuisine where is it often called ‘Thai Holy Basil’ (known locally as kaphrao). You will find it in many traditional Thai dishes so look out for it when you next indulge in your Favorite Thai dishes!
Although basil grows best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot and, like most herbs, will do best on a sun-facing windowsill. It should be kept away from extremely cold drafts, and grows best in strong sunlight, therefore a greenhouse or row cover is ideal if available. It can, however, be grown even in a basement, under fluorescent lights.
If its leaves have wilted from lack of water, it will recover if watered thoroughly and place in a sunny location. Yellow leaves towards the bottom of the plant are an indication that the plant has been stressed; usually this means that it needs less water, or less or more fertilizer.
Basil is possibly native to India and has been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. It was thoroughly familiar to the Greek authors Theophrastus and Discords. It is a tender plant, best known as a culinary herb prominently featured Italian cuisine, and also plays a major role in Southeast Asia Cuisines of Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Taiwan. Depending on the species and cultivar, the leaves may taste somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, often sweet smell.
In Ayurvedic medicine it is known to help treat colds, headaches, stomach disorders, inflammation, heart diseases, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.
Basil Oil in Pharma
It can also be used as an ‘energizer’ in room diffusers it is thought to stimulate the creative receptors in the brain when working (a good one to sneak into the office!).
Essence of Basil Oil
In aromatherapy Holy Basil purifies and cleanses the air and is thought to support our respiratory, nervous and digestive systems.
COMMON USAGE
· Cosmetic Applications
· Improves Digestion
· Relieves Cold
· Treats Asthma
· Treats Infections
· Relieves Stress
· Improves Blood Circulation
· Alleviates Pain
· Eye Care
· Prevents Vomiting
· Treats Itching
Ingredients:
|
S.No |
Key Constituents |
Strength (%) |
|
1 |
Estragole |
73.4-87.4 |
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2 |
Linalool |
8.6 |
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3 |
1,8-Cineole |
0.6-6.0 |
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4 |
b-Caryophyllene |
4.0 |
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5 |
(p)-Limonene |
0.1-3.0 |
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6 |
Methylrugenol |
0-4.2 |
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7 |
(E)-b-Ocimene |
0-2.2 |
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8 |
Terpinene-4-ol 0 |
2.2 |
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9 |
10-epi-a-Cadinol |
0-1.3 |
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10 |
Eugenol |
1.2 |
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11 |
Bornyl acetate |
0-1.1 |
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12 |
Camphore |
1.0 |
TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Safety summary
· Hazards: potentially carcinogenic, based on estragole and methyl eugenol content; may inhibit blood clotting.
· Contraindications: should not be taken in oral doses.
· Maximum Dermal use level
Safety advice
Recommended a dermal maximum of 0.1% based on 87.4% estragole and 4.2% methyl eugenol content, and dermal limits of 0.12% for estragole and 0.02% for methyl eugenol.
Organ Specific Effects:
· Adverse skin reactions: undiluted basil oil was mildly irritating to mice; tested at 4% on 25 volunteers it was neither irritating for sensitizing. It is non-phototoxic. A 65-year-oid aromatherapist with multiple essential oil sensitives reacted with to both 1% and 5% basil oil.
· Cardiovascular effects: Estragole inhibits platelet aggregation, an essential step in the blood clothing cascade.
Systemic effects
· Acute toxicity:
o Basil oil (estragole CT)
o acute oral LD50 in rats 1.4 mL/kg;
o acute dermal LD50 in rabbits>5 mL/kg.
· Carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic potential: A basil oil consisting of 88.2% estragole showed a very similar degree of genotoxicity to estragole in a ret liver DNA repair test. Basil oil showed moderate chemo preventive activity against human mouth epidermal carcinoma cells and significant activity against mouse leukemia cells, with respective IC50 values of 303 and 36 mg/mL. Estragole and methyl eugenol are rodent carcinogens when oral exposure is sufficiently high.
· Hazards: May be neurotoxic, based on camphor content.
· Contraindications (all routes): Pregnancy, breastfeeding.
· Maximum adult daily oral dose 250 mg
· Maximum dermal use level 8%
Organ-specific effects
· Adverse skin reactions: No information found. Fenchone is relatively non-irritant and non-sensitizing.
Systemic effects
· Acute toxicity: No information found. The rat acute oral LD50 for fenchone is 6.16 g/kg. Camphor minimum LD50 is 1.7 g/kg in rats. Camphor is potentially neurotoxic and is thought to be more toxic in humans than in rodents.
· Carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic potential: No information was! found for Spanish lavender oil, but it contains no known carcinogens.
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
· Ecotoxicity: No data available.
· Bioaccumulation: No data available
· Mobility in soil: No data available
· Persistence and degradability: No data available
· PBT and vPvB assessment: No data available
